Shades of Gray
by arcanioque
Summary: Taking a break from training, Kakashi and Sasuke pay the Uchiha graves a visit.


Shades of Gray

_kakashi, sasuke._

**_no pairings._**

_Taking a break from training, Kakashi and Sasuke pay the Uchiha graves a visit. _

_And once again, these two has always striked a chord with me with their awfully enigmatic relationship as teacher-pupil, thus this fic was born. Set in the timeframe **BEFORE the Chuunin exam, during the ONE MONTH that Kakashi took Sasuke under his wing **to train him on his taijutsu skills and to master Chidori. In that one month, I thought surely their teacher-pupil relationship must have gotten closer, since right after the death of the Hokage-sama, it DOES seem apparent that the two had gotten closer and were more comfortable with each other's presence. _

_TAADAA, enjoy! _

_-_

Kakashi stared at the grave before him.

Engraved in bold prints were the kanji characters: Uchiha Obito.

His Jounin-level senses alerted him to a new, yet familiar presence he knew well. His ear pricked, and he didn't have to turn to address his pupil that had treaded to his side.

With bruises all over their bodies (tokens of him showing Sasuke how to do the Chidori, and the latter trying his best to pick up the imparted technique), eyes that were baggy from sleep deprivation, and fingers that were wrapped in bandages until they resembled a mummified hand, Kakashi thought they looked similar, if not, just as bad as each other.

He slid his hands in his pockets, and a small amused smile found its way to his lips as he sensed _him _performing the exact same gesture, too. It was a trademark of theirs after all, or perhaps, Kakashi mused, he must have been too much of an influence for the young Uchiha male. It seemed like his pupil was picking up all the bad habits from him. No wonder Maito Gai kept warning Kakashi along the lines of "I think you're a bad influence on that Susake boy and he's beginning to resemble you in a freaky eerie way. Why can't you learn from me and Lee? He inherits all my good traits!"

And Kakashi had merely arched an eyebrow, and corrected his eternal rival calmly without a blink of his good eye. "It's _Sasuke._"

"I knew that! YOSH!!" And the trademark Gai glint. Oh yes, Lee must have been terribly influenced by that trait as well. That young Taijutsu specialist sure picked it up fast from his fellow Konoha green beast. Though Kakashi wasn't sure if he could consider that as a good point, though. As well as wearing green spandex suits, and keeping eyebrows till they grew fuzzy. And that bowl-shaped hairstyle that was one of a kind, no, make that two.

Kakashi blinked. His pupil had spoken beside him, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled peacefully over them.

"How long has it been now?" Sasuke asked in a quiet, low voice. His eyes were kept onto the grave beside Obito's. The younger boy only remembered this deceased Uchiha as a fellow distant cousin of his.

Kakashi found it a perculiar time to smile smally. Not because of the sight of gray graves that were displayed before his vision, but of the fact that, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Sasuke still having his hands in his pockets.

So much like he was doing so now.

Kakashi wondered what would Gai say if he was to see their similar postures.

He would probably wag a thick finger, execute his good guy pose #561 (Kakashi had no idea how many of those Gai had at his disposal. He had lost count), and shout at the top his lungs, "KAKASHI! SUSAKE! YOU ARE DESTROYING YOUR YOUTH OF POWER BY PUTTING YOUR HANDS IN YOUR POCKETS!!!" Yadda yadda yadda. And chalk up one for the Konoha Beast. He would upgrade their rivalry scores to a glorious 51-49 and grin his gleaming grin.

"Years." Kakashi replied, just as quietly. It was as if there was an unsaid, wordless understanding that the two teacher-pupil shared. Both knew that neither would wish to elaborate on the intricate details. Such were not necessary when it came to what had already been done and taken away from their lives.

Kakashi's eye focused on his pupil, who had his attention now diverted to Obito's grave.

"I didn't know him well." Was his sole reply, as Sasuke knelt down to get a closer look.

Kakashi remained where he was. A sudden ache had started to bloom in his chest - a pang of guilt, regret, remorse. He didn't want to be reminded of the past that much again, but he felt strangely comfortable discussing long-buried issues again with this particular student. As though Sasuke understood. His pain, his loneliness, his emotions, his heart - better than his other two pupil.

Maybe that was why he favored him over Naruto and Sakura in the first place. True, Kakashi was not one to openly admit it, and would deny it with all his might if anyone had suspected it in the first place. But Gai was right when it concerned matters of their pupils - surely one would always be a Sensei's 'precious subordinate'.

And Uchiha Sasuke was such to him.

After all, they had been through rather similar situations as well. Just like Gaara as with Naruto - that made them understand each other on better terms even with little interaction. Just like now, as _they _stood quietly - the younger one stroking the outlines of Obito's grave, and Kakashi staring at the back of his pupil's head.

At Kakashi's silence, Sasuke had been prompted to continue in his words, as he cast his Sensei a sideway glance. "But he was the only other one who would spar with me when...when--" He was about to mention his brother's name, when he dropped it altogether, head lowered, "--when I was alone."

_When Nii-san wasn't around, and Otto-san and Okaa-san wouldn't care anymore about me. _Kakashi knew what was running through his pupil's head. At Sasuke's sudden lonely eyes that hinted just a small tinge of solitude and pain, Kakashi had found himself crouching beside his pupil already.

His eyes were downcast at Obito's grave, and he laid a hand upon Sasuke's head in the manner he knew would annoy him to no ends. _"...Sometimes you treat me like a kid. It's annoying." _He would tell Kakashi. But really, if Sasuke had other ways, he would admit that he didn't mind that much.

Sakura had once told him that gestures like this were a sign of affection, and the pink-haired lass had always complaint that Kakashi was biased and unfair in that he "always ruffled Sasuke-kun's hair more than any of us!" Sasuke had feigned indifference, but there would always be a perculiar warming of his heart at the thought of being someone's _pride, _no less a high-level jounin at that.

"Sometimes," Kakashi did not know why he had felt compelled to let loose a few of the words he had kept bottled in his heart for decades, but with his favorite pupil, it always felt like it was okay to even admit that he - the almighty Kakashi - was afraid, and he knew Sasuke wouldn't jeer and mock at him, "Sometimes I wonder if I could have changed anything back then."

And silence had reigned, saved for the soft sounds of Sasuke's fingers swiping the dust away from Obito's grave.

The young Uchiha male had then elicited his trademark 'hn', though not harsh. It was more of a sound punctuation than anything. "It's funny how you're not alone on that, Kakashi."

A small, rare hint of a smile hinted at the corner of the jounin's lips.

With one last look at his deceased friend's grave, he stood up, and stretched his limbs. Yawning, he then pulled out Icha Icha Paradise from his pocket, and began to flip to the page where he had last left off. His ears pricked - telling him that Sasuke, too, had stood up, casted one last unfathomable look at his parents' grave, before joining his Sensei by the side.

The jounin looked down to see his Chidori successor shoot him a dirty look.

Arched eyebrow. "Nan de?"

Sasuke was eyeing the book in his hands.

"Mah," Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's back as both of them turned their backs and started picking up their paces again, "You're still underage, eh, Sasuke. There are some things that you still can't accomplish at your age."

Sasuke's eyebrow had twitched. "That's not what I meant." And he crossed his arms, and looked away with closed eyes. "No wonder Naruto says you're a pervert." He muttered under his breath.

Kakashi's other eyebrow had raised itself as well. "Ah? Did you say something?"

"Nothing." Sasuke let his hands fall back to his side as he stopped in his path, to throw one final glance behind his shoulders at the Uchiha graves.

"We'll head for lunch first before resuming training." Kakashi told the boy, as he placed a hand on Sasuke's far shoulder. He met the shorter boy's gaze steadily, "Let's go."

Sasuke nodded, and turned to face back in his original direction. "Ah."

He did not know of his Sensei looking back behind his shoulders upon a certain Uchiha grave to offer a small, honest smile.

_If you were alive to see me now, you probably would have pointed out how your cousin is so much like me. _

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke interrupted his thoughts as walked alongside the older male.

"Nani yo?" Kakashi had picked up his book to read Icha-Icha Paradise again, ignoring the roll of his pupil's eyes and a look that clearly read 'you-pervert-jounin'.

"Where are we going to eat?"

"Ah..." Kakashi mulled over an eating place, and placed his hands behind his head as he walked, Icha Icha Paradise hanging off in between his fingers. "A good restaurant that sells natto and sweets."

Kakashi had intentionally said it to make his pupil cringe at the thought. Out of the corner of his eyes, he eyed his pupil's reaction, a faint smile playing at his lips. Sasuke's lips were now set into a frown.

Sasuke HATED anything that were natto and sweets.

He threw his Sensei a look, "No." He said firmly, with that arrogant tilt to his voice.

"Ah...then I guess we won't be eating lunch after all." Kakashi raked a hand through his hair, again choosing to ignore the trademark Uchiha Sasuke death-glare that was thrown in his way.

He did not miss the sight of Sasuke having unconsciously (or not) followed suit his Sensei's action by walking with his hands placed behind his head.

**owari**

_A/N:_

_It took me nearly two hours to get this fic downpat, so reviews will be appreciated like raindrops in times of drought. _

_Apologies for OOCness, misplaced events, stuff that doesn't seem quite right. I'm not completely through with MANY episodes of Naruto, and have missed out on alot, but I'm amending it by spending my holidays watching over the anime series now! _

_title cliche-ly picked for the grayish scenery of the Uchiha graves. Yeah, sounds kinda dumb and corny, but hey, I ran out of ideas, and i'm sleepy, so creative juices just ain't spurting out of my head right now to think of a more appropriate title. 'nuff said._

_REVIEW! And I'll offer...Kakashi plushies! (who doesn't WANT Kakashi plushies? Well, I do!) _


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